Sussex holidays | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/sussex
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018Thu, 24 May 2018 20:49:13 GMT2018-05-24T20:49:13Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Kate Mosse on Fishbourne: ‘This place helped make me the writer I am today'https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/21/made-in-fishbourne-kate-mosse
<p>The novelist on the light of the Sussex marshes, playing Pooh sticks with her sisters, and leaving home to understand it</p><p>There’s a certain quality of light on autumn afternoons on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/20/the-wild-bunch-kate-mosse-on-why-we-love-out-of-control-women">Fishbourne Marshes</a> that speaks of childhood and the past. It tugs at the heartstrings and prompts memories of other chill October days. The sour scent of stubble burning in the farmers’ fields, the vastness of the blue Sussex sky over the Downs, the whispering of the reed beds as the tide comes in, setting the stalks rattling. A gull might wheel and cry, an oystercatcher might leave its spiky prints in the black mud by the burnt-out remains of Farhill’s Mill.</p><p>From where I am now standing, on the Bosham side of the creek, I can follow the line of the old sea wall down to Apuldram and Dell Quay, where dinghies and little boats bob in the current. I can catch a glimpse of the old flint-faced church of St Peter &amp; St Mary in the fields framed by yew and poplar and willow trees. My sisters were married in that church, summer brides both. Ancient pilgrims’ marks are scratched into the north wall, crude yet somehow touching marks of devotion. They mean something. Beyond, on the horizon, the spire of Chichester Cathedral soars and boasts of the bustle of the town.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/21/made-in-fishbourne-kate-mosse">Continue reading...</a>FictionBooksCultureSocietySussex holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelSat, 21 Apr 2018 09:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/21/made-in-fishbourne-kate-mossePhotograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyKate Mosse2018-04-21T09:00:09Z‘The myths and legends surrounding the South Downs are amazing’: writer Cressida Cowellhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/sep/08/south-downs-west-sussex-author-cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon
<p>The beauty and ancient history of the landscape have always fired the imagination of the How to Train Your Dragon author</p><p><strong>I spent much of my childhood in the South Downs</strong>, where my grandmother lived, and we just ran free. We’d be off on our bikes, or on foot, – or toboggan in the snow – to explore the landscape around the villages of Singleton and Charlton which has, unconsciously, been such an inspiration to me as an author.</p><p><strong>There’s an extraordinary atmosphere here, I think because its human history is so old</strong>. There’s a feeling that you could turn round and someone from 2,000 years could appear. Paths like the <a href="http://www.southdownsway.co.uk/">South Downs Way</a> have been trudged for thousands of years and probably haven’t changed much in that time.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/sep/08/south-downs-west-sussex-author-cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysWalking holidaysEngland holidaysFamily holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelTeen booksBooksHow to Train Your Dragon 2Children and teenagersFri, 08 Sep 2017 10:16:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/sep/08/south-downs-west-sussex-author-cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragonPhotograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty ImagesInterview by Camilla Parker2017-09-08T10:16:40ZTake the kids to … High Sports climbing centre, Brightonhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/07/high-sports-indoor-climbing-centre-brighton
<p>With indoor climbing set to be part of the next Olympics, interest in the sport is on the ascent. This place offers a fun but professional introduction for kids</p><p>An indoor climbing centre offering top roping (wearing a harness attached to a rope controlled by an instructor or partner below you), lead climbing (for more experienced climbers, where you attach the rope to metal hooks, called quick draws, as you climb) and bouldering (no ropes or harness, shorter routes, a mat below), with three bays of walls up to 13 metres high. Indoor climbing was on the rise even before it was confirmed as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Games. Recognition is likely to send interest sky high. While there’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/feb/13/brighton-hove-children-kids-sights-museums-cafes">masses to entertain kids in Brighton itself</a>, this is a great rainy-day option for all ages.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/07/high-sports-indoor-climbing-centre-brighton">Continue reading...</a>Brighton holidaysClimbing holidaysDay tripsSussex holidaysEngland holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysFamily holidaysTravelTue, 07 Mar 2017 10:29:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/07/high-sports-indoor-climbing-centre-brightonPhotograph: Isabel Choat for the GuardianPhotograph: Isabel Choat for the GuardianIsabel Choat2017-03-07T10:29:42ZWalking to West Sussex: on a modern English pilgrimagehttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/12/walking-holiday-london-sussex-pilgrimage-jerusalem
<p>Pilgrimages were once common in the UK. Now, a new trust aims to revive the tradition, in secular form. Alan Franks joins a walk from London to West Sussex to celebrate the song Jerusalem’s centenary</p><p>Lying on the piano in Shulbrede Priory, near Haslemere in West Sussex, was the original manuscript of English composer Hubert Parry’s musical setting of William Blake’s famous poem, Jerusalem. One of the “pilgrims” in our little group sat down at the instrument and up rose the opening notes of England’s unofficial national anthem.</p><p>I had joined the group for a section of an 11-day journey organised by the British Pilgrimage Trust (BPT), which was formed in 2014 in response to the growing popularity of routes such as the Camino de Santiago, the walk to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, north-west Spain.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/12/walking-holiday-london-sussex-pilgrimage-jerusalem">Continue reading...</a>Walking holidaysEngland holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelSussex holidaysLondon holidaysWilliam BlakeCultureSat, 12 Nov 2016 12:00:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/12/walking-holiday-london-sussex-pilgrimage-jerusalemPhotograph: British PilgrimagePhotograph: British PilgrimageAlan Franks2016-11-12T12:00:48Z50 of the best UK cottages for Christmas and New Yearhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/sep/17/50-best-uk-cottages-for-christmas-and-new-year
<p>Sorry to mention it just as the long, hot summer draws to a close, but unless you hurry it will be too late to bag a festive cottage. Here are our choices for romance, partying, winter walks and great pubs</p><p><em><strong>All cottages were available to book at the time of going to press. Outside the Christmas holiday period, all cottages are available at cheaper rates than those quoted here</strong><br></em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/sep/17/50-best-uk-cottages-for-christmas-and-new-year">Continue reading...</a>CottagesEngland holidaysScotland holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysWales holidaysCornwall holidaysYorkshire holidaysNorfolk holidaysSussex holidaysWalking holidaysTravelFamily holidaysSat, 17 Sep 2016 06:00:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/sep/17/50-best-uk-cottages-for-christmas-and-new-yearPhotograph: PRPhotograph: PRRhiannon Batten, Rachel Dixon, Jane Dunford and Joanne O'Connor2016-09-17T06:00:41ZHoliday camp – a Butlins photo essayhttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2016/aug/24/holiday-camp-a-butlins-photo-essay-bognor-regis
<p>As Butlins in Bognor Regis welcomes thousands of holidaymakers, Guardian photographer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/davidlevene">David Levene</a> joins the ranks of happy campers</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2016/aug/24/holiday-camp-a-butlins-photo-essay-bognor-regis">Continue reading...</a>PhotographySussex holidaysSummer holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysWed, 24 Aug 2016 12:59:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2016/aug/24/holiday-camp-a-butlins-photo-essay-bognor-regisPhotograph: David Levene for the GuardianPhotograph: David Levene for the GuardianDavid Levene and Guy Lane2016-08-24T12:59:29ZOnce more on to the beach: how Britain’s seaside towns bounced backhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/may/14/once-more-on-to-the-beach-how-britains-seaside-towns-bounced-back
<p>For years our coastal resorts have been in decline. But now bookings are on the rise, and over half of us will go to a British beach this year. So what has changed?</p><p>John Napier plonks a pair of blue sequined stilettos – size nine, vertiginous heels – on the counter of his shop, Cobblers to the Old Town, on the high street in Hastings. These, he says, belong to a loyal customer, a handsome South American man who works in the film industry and whose partner, a New Zealander, is a big noise in oil. They are part of a new affluent gay crowd visiting and even moving to the East Sussex town. Napier, who is 66 and bald with a&nbsp;white goatee beard, believes that his shoe repair business tells the story of the renaissance of the seaside; that the soul – or sole – of Hastings is somehow here. So, he gets the high heels and party shoes, but also fixes split wellies for thrifty fishermen, tap shoes for nifty showbizzers and expensive brogues for&nbsp;hipsters DFL (down from London).</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/apr/27/hastings-pier-reopens-after-restoration-project-heritage-lottery-fund-east-sussex">Hastings Pier reopens following £14.2m restoration project</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/apr/02/england-coast-path-2020-norfolk-walking-holidays">England’s 2,800-mile Coast Path to open in 2020</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/feb/13/uk-britain-beaches-five">Five of the best beaches in the UK</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/mar/11/jerwood-gallery-hastings-stade-review">Jerwood Gallery, Hastings – review</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2015/aug/21/in-dismaland-banksy-has-created-something-truly-depressing">In Dismaland, Banksy has created something truly depressing</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/may/14/once-more-on-to-the-beach-how-britains-seaside-towns-bounced-back">Continue reading...</a>Beach holidaysFamily holidaysTravel & leisurePiersBusinessFamilyHastings holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysEngland holidaysSussex holidaysLife and styleTravelUK newsSat, 14 May 2016 07:00:30 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/may/14/once-more-on-to-the-beach-how-britains-seaside-towns-bounced-backPhotograph: Gareth Fuller/PAPhotograph: Gareth Fuller/PAPeter Ross2016-05-14T07:00:30ZHastings Pier reopens following £14.2m restoration projecthttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/apr/27/hastings-pier-reopens-after-restoration-project-heritage-lottery-fund-east-sussex
<p>Local supporters and Heritage Lottery funding have helped restore ‘the people’s pier’ following fire damage and eight years of closure</p><p>After being closed for eight years, Hastings Pier has reopened to the public following a £14.2m restoration project. The historic pier was shut down for safety reasons in 2008 and was then almost completely destroyed by a fire in 2010.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/apr/27/hastings-pier-reopens-after-restoration-project-heritage-lottery-fund-east-sussex">Continue reading...</a>Hastings holidaysSussex holidaysEngland holidaysHeritageTravelUnited Kingdom holidaysUK newsPiersCultureHeritageWed, 27 Apr 2016 16:45:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/apr/27/hastings-pier-reopens-after-restoration-project-heritage-lottery-fund-east-sussexPhotograph: Gareth Fuller/PAPhotograph: Gareth Fuller/PAWill Coldwell2016-04-27T16:45:49ZAndy Murray v Worthing: which is duller?https://www.theguardian.com/sport/shortcuts/2015/dec/21/andy-murray-v-worthing-which-is-dullest
<p>This tennis player has been described as ‘duller than a weekend in Worthing’, but is it true? We find out which is more interesting</p><p>After the fuss over Tyson Fury’s homophobia and sexism, it was good to see the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award get back to its problem with blandness. On winning, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/35130585">Andy Murray quipped</a>: “A friend sent me a message the other day with an article from a newspaper that said, ‘Andy Murray is duller than a weekend in Worthing’. Which I thought was a bit harsh. To Worthing.”</p><p>Was it? According to Daniel Humphreys, the leader of Worthing council, the choice of his town as an archetype of dullness has “a little bit more to do with alliteration” than reality. When asked which is more interesting – Worthing or Murray – Humphreys tactfully says: “I wouldn’t like to go down that route of setting one against the other.” We would, however. Here are the (boring) facts.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/shortcuts/2015/dec/21/andy-murray-v-worthing-which-is-dullest">Continue reading...</a>Andy MurrayTennisSportBBC Sports Personality of the YearSussex holidaysMon, 21 Dec 2015 17:53:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/shortcuts/2015/dec/21/andy-murray-v-worthing-which-is-dullestPhotograph: Niall Carson/PAPhotograph: Niall Carson/PALeo Benedictus2015-12-21T17:53:04ZSniff, sip and swill: a wine afternoon with Jilly Gooldenhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/sep/12/jilly-goolden-wine-tasting-sussex
<p>The woman who helped turn the nation on to wine in the 1980s now runs tasting courses at her home. Plus three more UK wine experiences</p><p>The wine critic Jilly Goolden lives with her husband, dogs, horses, peacocks and former battery hens (their three children are all grown up) down a lane of rhododendrons in the Ashdown Forest in Sussex. Here she provides peaceful accommodation for two in a converted 1920s pump house a bit further down the lane, and regularly invites up to 14 people to turn up on her Arts and Crafts doorstep for an afternoon of non-stop drinking at her <a href="http://www.jillygoolden.com/">Wine Room</a>.</p><p>“Have a sniff,” she says, putting her nose into a glass of chenin blanc and going quiet. “Sort of honey… honeydew melon… a little smell of cream… it reminds you of lying in bed upstairs and having a tiny waft of someone marvellous having made you breakfast downstairs. You get that smell of toast and butter… mmm.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/sep/12/jilly-goolden-wine-tasting-sussex">Continue reading...</a>Wine holidaysSussex holidaysFood & drinkFood and drinkWineUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelEngland holidaysLearning holidaysSat, 12 Sep 2015 06:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/sep/12/jilly-goolden-wine-tasting-sussexPhotograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyCarol McDaid2015-09-12T06:00:07ZA Kew Gardens in the Sussex countryside: from the archive, 15 August 1966https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/15/kew-gardens-country-wakehurst-sussex
<p> When the National Trust offered the lease of Wakehurst Place in Sussex, Kew’s director and the Ministry of Agriculture jumped at the chance</p><p>“Generally regarded as the largest and best-equipped gardens in the world,” says the encyclopedia of Kew. Certainly it is the centre of at least the Commonwealth’s entire botanical research.</p><p>Encroaching industry and London’s smoke (even though those menacing gasworks have now been closed) have made the cultivation of delicate plants and trees increasingly difficult at Kew however, and in 1964, when the National Trust offered the lease of Wakehurst Place in Sussex, Kew’s Director, Sir George Taylor, and the Ministry of Agriculture jumped at the chance.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/15/kew-gardens-country-wakehurst-sussex">Continue reading...</a>Kew GardensGardensScienceSussex holidaysTrees and forestsSat, 15 Aug 2015 04:00:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/15/kew-gardens-country-wakehurst-sussexPhotograph: Sean Smith/GuardianPhotograph: Sean Smith/GuardianBy our own Reporter2015-08-15T04:00:15ZTake the kids to … the Bluebell Railway, East Sussexhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/28/bluebell-railway-sussex-england-rail-heritage-children
<p>Bucolic Sussex is an ideal place for kids to let off steam, especially if you shunt them to East Grinstead and the recently added northern terminus of one of the UK’s oldest heritage railways</p><ul><li><strong>More family day trip ideas: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/21/kidzania-london-theme-park-westfield">Kidzania, London</a> | <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/14/treetop-nets-lake-district-review-take-the-kids-to">Treetop Nets, Lake District</a></strong><br></li></ul><p><strong>In a nutshell</strong> <br>The UK’s first standard gauge heritage railway opened in 1960. Extended to connect with mainline trains at East Grinstead in 2013, it puffs 11 miles through Sussex countryside to Sheffield Park stopping at Horsted Keynes and Kingscote. The journey takes 40 minutes each way with a wait in the middle – enough time to explore the Carriage Workshop at Horsted Keynes and have a picnic. There’s a grassy picnic area fringed with woodland just up from the station with picnic tables. <a href="http://www.bluebell-railway.com/event/childrens-week/">Children’s week</a> (August 1-7) features donkey rides, circus workshops and Punch and Judy shows.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/28/bluebell-railway-sussex-england-rail-heritage-children">Continue reading...</a>Day tripsRail travelFamily holidaysSussex holidaysEngland holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysHeritageWeekend breaksTravelTue, 28 Jul 2015 10:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/28/bluebell-railway-sussex-england-rail-heritage-childrenPhotograph: Neil Farrin/Robert Harding World Imagery/CorbisPhotograph: Neil Farrin/Robert Harding World Imagery/CorbisJeremy Head2015-07-28T10:00:04ZThe Flint Barns, Rathfinny Estate, Alfriston, East Sussex: hotel reviewhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/18/flint-barns-rathfinny-estate-alfriston-east-sussex-hotel-review
<p>This Sussex Downs hostel and B&amp;B was built to house workers on the estate’s enormous vineyard, but there’s nothing basic about these digs – rooms are high quality and the scenery is superb</p><p>In Peter Mayle’s novel A Good Year, which was turned into a Hollywood movie starring Russell Crowe, a disillusioned London banker discovers a new sense of purpose running a vineyard in France. Give or take a few plot twists – and swap Provence for the chalky downland of East Sussex – and this is a reasonable synopsis of Mark Driver’s story. After a high-flying career as a hedge fund manager, Driver found himself looking for a new direction. He bought a 600-acre arable farm and signed up for a viticulture course at Brighton University, with the aim of planting a vineyard. But any notion that this is a hobby career to ease him into retirement evaporates as we drive through the gates of the <a href="http://www.rathfinnyestate.com/visit/">Rathfinny Estate</a>. This place is enormous, rows of young vines unfolding in every direction as far as the eye can see.</p><p>Rathfinny is one of the UK’s largest vineyards and the plan is to produce sparkling wines of a quality to rival the finest champagne. Driver is obviously not a man to do things by halves, a fact which becomes even more apparent when we pull up outside the Flint Barns. This imposing brick and flint structure was built on the site of the original 19th-century farmhouse to house the pickers and pruners who work on the vineyard in autumn and winter. The rest of the year it will function as a posh hostel and B&amp;B. As we walk into the lofty and light-filled dining area, with its reclaimed oak floors, exposed beams, long trestle tables and open kitchen, I’m tempted to apply for a job myself. I don’t have much experience of agricultural workers’ digs but I’m guessing this is not typical.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/18/flint-barns-rathfinny-estate-alfriston-east-sussex-hotel-review">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelHotelsWeekend breaksFood and drinkFood & drinkSat, 18 Jul 2015 06:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/18/flint-barns-rathfinny-estate-alfriston-east-sussex-hotel-reviewPhotograph: Vivienne Blakey/PRRathfinny Estate. Photograph: Vivienne BlakeyPhotograph: Vivienne Blakey/PRRathfinny Estate. Photograph: Vivienne BlakeyJoanne O'Connor2015-07-18T06:00:04ZWest Sussex: on safari at a country estatehttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/14/west-sussex-safari-birds-rewilding-project
<p>Going on a safari at a rewilding project in West Sussex offers the thrill of spotting rare birds and a taste of Africa as you enjoy sundowners back at camp </p><p>The night is dark and we’re huddled in silence on a viewing platform, half-way up a tree, ears alert to the calls of the wild. A rustle in the bushes, the wind in the leaves, a distant animal cry. Just as we’re about to give up, the sound we’ve been waiting for fills the inky sky.</p><p>It’s not a lion’s roar, nor a hyena’s squeal, but the sweet liquid trill of a nightingale… I am on safari, but it’s not the African bush. This is the <a href="http://www.knepp.co.uk/">Knepp Castle estate</a> in deepest, darkest West Sussex, home to the largest rewilding project in lowland Europe.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/26/great-country-walks-slindon-folly-west-sussex">Great country walks: Slindon Folly, West Sussex</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2014/jun/21/cool-holiday-cottages-west-sussex-in-pictures">Cool holiday cottages in West Sussex - in pictures</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/sep/13/south-downs-sussex-walking-festival">Let’s go to … the South Downs, Sussex</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/14/west-sussex-safari-birds-rewilding-project">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysSafarisUnited Kingdom holidaysCamping holidaysGlampingGreen travelTravelBirdwatchingThu, 14 May 2015 05:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/14/west-sussex-safari-birds-rewilding-projectPhotograph: PRMoth trapping on a Knepp safari.Photograph: PRMoth trapping on a Knepp safari.Jane Dunford2015-05-14T05:00:06ZTravel tips: Comporta, Portugal, plus this week’s best deals | Joanne O’Connorhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/10/travel-tips-comporta-portugal-plus-this-weeks-best-deals
<p>Bask on the beach in Portugal’s answer to Whitstable. Plus stay in a divine Sussex vineyard, or in a one-bed villa with pool in Chianti</p><p><strong>Why go?</strong><br>Comporta is the beach retreat of choice for Lisbon’s fashion and media set, who decamp here at weekends to hang out in chichi fisherman’s cottages just an hour’s drive from the city. Think of it as a&nbsp;Portuguese Whitstable, only with vast sandy beaches instead of small pebbly ones, sun-bleached seafood shacks instead of wind-battered ice cream vans, pink flamingos instead of seagulls and Brazilian models instead of… OK, so it’s nothing like Whitstable. A lack of accommodation has kept Comporta under the radar, but that’s changing, with the arrival last year of a gorgeous new hotel and rumours of a five-star Aman Resort on the horizon.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/10/travel-tips-comporta-portugal-plus-this-weeks-best-deals">Continue reading...</a>Portugal holidaysEurope holidaysSussex holidaysItaly holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysTravelSun, 10 May 2015 06:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/10/travel-tips-comporta-portugal-plus-this-weeks-best-dealsPhotograph: Manuel Ribeiro/AlamyStairway to heaven: steps leading down the sandstone cliffs to the beach at Comporta. Photograph: Manuel Ribeiro/AlamyPhotograph: Manuel Ribeiro/AlamyStairway to heaven: steps leading down the sandstone cliffs to the beach at Comporta. Photograph: Manuel Ribeiro/AlamyJoanne O'Connor2015-05-10T06:00:04ZSkyhouse, Lewes, East Sussex: B&B reviewhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/mar/28/skyhouse-lewes-east-sussex-bed-and-breakfast-hotel-review
<p>This new eco-friendly B&amp;B on a hillside overlooking pretty Lewes is as smooth, slick and modern as it is healthy for both visitors and the planet</p><p>We arrived at Skyhouse on a wintry evening, with lashing rain and mist obscuring any view. When we woke up it was spring, and the name of this brand-new B&amp;B made sense – the view from the sliding glass doors of our room was two-thirds blue sky, one-third rooftops and green hills.</p><p>Skyhouse sits on the top of Cuilfail Hill, overlooking Lewes, a town known for its support of green causes (as a <a href="https://www.transitionnetwork.org/">Transition Town</a>, it is dedicated to finding more sustainable ways of living). But Skyhouse is a first in the area: a high-spec, pre-fabricated eco-home shipped from Germany in parts and assembled in just four days. That was the easy part. It had taken months to prepare the land, knocking down a dilapidated 1930s house and cutting into the chalky hillside, which forms a natural, ragged wall around the rear of the property and is visible from one of the bedrooms.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/mar/28/skyhouse-lewes-east-sussex-bed-and-breakfast-hotel-review">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysBed and breakfastsGreen travelGreen buildingHotelsTravelSat, 28 Mar 2015 07:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/mar/28/skyhouse-lewes-east-sussex-bed-and-breakfast-hotel-reviewPhotograph: PRSkyhouse eco luxury B&B in LewesPhotograph: PRSkyhouse eco luxury B&B in LewesIsabel Choat2015-03-28T07:00:10ZLet’s go to … Hastingshttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/feb/10/hastings-east-sussex-weekend-break
<p>There’s more to Hastings than groynes and medieval history: a wave of new openings and its megabucks pier are giving the seaside town a revamp<br><strong>• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/13/rye-east-sussex-weekend-break">Let’s go to … Rye, East Sussex</a></strong></p><p><strong>Why Hastings?</strong><br>Move over Brighton … With a new cookery school, artisan shops, gourmet food and modern art, the Sussex seaside town has gone cool. And this summer its pier, in the final stages of a £14m renovation, will add film festivals and farmers’ markets to the mix.</p><p><strong>So what can I do</strong>?<br>A day out in Hastings once meant crazy golf and funiculars. While those options remain, visitors can now take seafood cookery lessons at <a href="http://www.hastingsflag.org/project/classroom-coast"><strong>Classroom on the Coast</strong></a> or take in the jet-black <a href="http://www.jerwoodgallery.org/whatson/23/beside-the-seaside"><strong>Jerwood Gallery</strong></a>, where Beside The Seaside, an exhibition by Chantal Joffe, is showing until 12 April.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/feb/10/hastings-east-sussex-weekend-break">Continue reading...</a>Hastings holidaysSussex holidaysEngland holidaysUnited Kingdom holidaysHotelsWeekend breaksTravelFood & drinkTue, 10 Feb 2015 11:05:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/feb/10/hastings-east-sussex-weekend-breakPhotograph: Parkerphotography/AlamyPhotograph: Parkerphotography/AlamyRichard Mellor2015-02-10T11:05:09ZGreat country walks: Slindon Folly, West Sussexhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/26/great-country-walks-slindon-folly-west-sussex
<p>Gorgeous countryside, with a detour to see where 19th-century criminals were locked up<br><strong>• Five more walks tomorrow</strong></p><p><strong>Difficulty</strong>: Easy<br><strong>Distance</strong>: 4.5 miles/7km<br><strong>Typical duration</strong>: 2 hours 15 minutes<br><strong>Start and finish</strong>: Park at the roadside near the entrance to Slindon College<br><strong>Map</strong>: OS Explorer 121<br><strong>Step-by-step details and maps</strong> <a href="http://www.ramblers.org.uk/route-detail?routeuid=4153-Slindon-Folly-South-Downs-West-Sussex">ramblers.org.uk/slindon</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/26/great-country-walks-slindon-folly-west-sussex">Continue reading...</a>Walking holidaysTravelUnited Kingdom holidaysSussex holidaysWildlifeEnvironmentMon, 26 Jan 2015 06:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/26/great-country-walks-slindon-folly-west-sussexPhotograph: /GettyThe Folly was built by the Countess of Newburgh after the Napoleonic wars. Photograph: GettyPhotograph: /GettyThe Folly was built by the Countess of Newburgh after the Napoleonic wars. Photograph: GettyGuardian Staff2015-01-26T06:00:01ZLet’s go to … Rye, East Sussexhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/13/rye-east-sussex-weekend-break
<p>Next month’s scallop festival is just one reason to visit the pretty seaside town. Exploring the old town’s streets and a trip to the sandy beaches nearby make for an idyllic weekend break, too</p><p><strong>Tell me about it</strong><br>It was probably the jumble of fine Georgian and medieval houses, cobbled streets and views of Romney Marsh that drew writers EF Benson and Henry James to Rye. Both lived in <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lamb-house/">Lamb House</a>, the setting for fictional town Tilling in Benson’s Mapp and Lucia books (as seen in the recent BBC adaptation). Seafood is the other draw: the town is two miles from the sea and perched above the river Rother. Next month the annual <a href="http://scallop.org.uk/">Rye Bay Scallop Week</a> (21 Feb-1 March) is on, which encourages local restaurants to dish up this toothsome mollusc in ever-more inventive ways.</p><p><strong>I’ll need a drink to wash them down.</strong><br>On the town’s outskirts, <a href="http://globeinnmarshrye.com/">The Globe Inn Marsh</a> is an eccentrically furnished clapboard building with log fires to hunker beside while nursing a well-kept pint. <a href="http://www.thegeorgeinrye.com/">The George in Rye</a> is a smart hotel with a bar perfect for sipping a chilled glass of white.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/13/rye-east-sussex-weekend-break">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysFestivalsFood and drinkUnited Kingdom holidaysWeekend breaksShort breaksTravelFood festivalsFood & drinkLife and styleTue, 13 Jan 2015 11:49:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/13/rye-east-sussex-weekend-breakPhotograph: Robert Harding World Imagery / A/AlamyPhotograph: Robert Harding World Imagery / A/AlamyClare Gogerty2015-01-13T11:49:45ZLet’s go to … the South Downs, Sussexhttps://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/sep/13/south-downs-sussex-walking-festival
<p>A new walking festival starting this month is the perfect excuse to hike the rolling South Downs – and enjoy all sorts of activities from a brewery tour to a cuckoo trail<br></p><p><strong>Tell me about it. </strong>Lace up your hiking boots and get stomping through the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/aug/23/south-downs-national-park-rangers-guide">South Downs national park</a>. A new walking festival launches on 27 September (<a href="http://sussexwalkingfestival.org.uk/">sussexwalkingfestival.org.uk</a>), with 50 events over two weekends … Nordic walking, anyone? The park was declared a Unesco biosphere reserve in June (which must mean it’s pretty special) and is rich in ancient woodland and rolling farmland – perfect for an early autumn walk.</p><p><strong>Sounds like I’ll need a drink.</strong> Handily, one of the walks is a <a href="http://sussexwalkingfestival.org.uk/walks/two-breweries-tour">breweries tour</a>: sup the wares of Long Man Brewery near Eastbourne and stop at the <a href="http://www.ploughandharrowlitlington.co.uk/">Plough and Harrow at Litlington</a>. The whole area is a pub-lover’s dream: try the 200-year-old <a href="http://www.cricketersberwick.co.uk/">Cricketers Arms</a> near Berwick or the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Snowdrop-Inn/257635217181">Snowdrop Inn</a> in Lewes, with its huge range of craft beers.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/sep/13/south-downs-sussex-walking-festival">Continue reading...</a>Sussex holidaysEngland holidaysWalking holidaysPubsBeerTravelSat, 13 Sep 2014 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/sep/13/south-downs-sussex-walking-festivalPhotograph: /AlamyWalking above cliffs at Beachy Head on the South Downs Way. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: /AlamyWalking above cliffs at Beachy Head on the South Downs Way. Photograph: AlamyJane Dunford2014-09-13T06:00:00Z